Monday February 23, 2015 Reflections

In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus talks about separating the goats from the sheep. Those who may be seen as the “goats” don’t understand why Jesus won’t let them into heaven. Maybe they did profess their love for Him while He was on earth, however, they failed to actually show that love, especially to others. They seemed to fail to see Him in the poor, hungry, displaced and the marginalized.

Christ really doesn’t want to turn any of us away. However, He does ask us to show that we really do love Him and not just through our words but with our actions as well. He wants us not just to say we are all one in Christ, but to show it through how we treat others. He wants us to know and show that we are one flesh through His Mystical Body.

With the kind of love Christ shows us, we can see all things new, we can start to see all people as they really are, as God sees them.

Seeing “all things new”. This is the promise of life in Christ. It is actually what happens when we try to imitate Jesus when we deal with other people. When we try to take steps to care for people who may be different from us, we start to see everything in a new light. Often those who have been considered as enemies, inferior or alien to us begin to lose their labels. We suddenly are seen as our brothers and sisters, who are all equally deserving of dignity and support. This is when we begin to love them and enter into a deeper love for then Lord.

“Jesus, I don’t want miss You! Let me see You in those I meet today, familiar or unfamiliar, pleasant or unpleasant. May I recognize all of them as my brothers and sisters.

Consider reading:

Leviticus 19:1-2; 11-18

Psalm 19:8-10; 15

Prayer

Lord, we know often we forget to see others in the same way as You do.

Help us this Lent and all our days to see just how important it is for us to cast aside our own personal beliefs about certain people.

Help us to be more ready and willing to see what You see, to feel what You feel and come to realize that You see all people as Your children.

Open ours to that truth, so we might be able to have a purer love for all our brothers and sisters we may meet on our journey in life.